Art of rolling rods



Dec. 19,` 1944. G- R ROEMER M 2,365,216*

ART OF ROLLING RODS Filed Jan. 4, 194s '3 sheets-sheet 1 mmm DE s sheets-sheet 2 G. R. ROEMER ART oF ROLLING RoDs Filed Jan. 4, 1945 Dec. v19, 1944.

Cra. R. ROEMER 2,365,216`

ART OF ROLLING RODS Filed Jan. 4.. i945' K sheets-sheet 3*' $9 h l n 9@ I L QT Na we .L y i I m h 1Q@ 3 SB Q, $69 y @iv l lk. Lw;

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Patented Dee. 19, 1944 Y' An'r' oF ROLLING Bons George R. Roemer, Mount Lebanon. Pa. Application -Janiiary 4, 194s, serial No, 471,243

` ,Y isclaims. (c1. :io-s3) The invention relates generallyto the artV of rolling steel rods, `and more particularly to a new method involving the production of coilable billets and the continuous heating and continuous rolling of such billets for producing an endless or continuous -rod of smallv cross section,

'directly from ingots.

The art of rolling rod has not changed fundamentally, or in anyV essential steps, during the last forty to sixty yearswhen the Morgan continuous and the Garrett looping mills were introduced to and almost universally adopted by Today they largest proportion of all rods produced for being drawn into wire for making galvanizedwire, springs, rope, barbed wire, woven wire `fence, nails and sundry other nished wire products, are rolled on continuous rod mills originally known as the Morgan type rod mill.

Such continuous rod mills consist essentially ofA a so-called continuous .typebar heating furnace, in which billets from 1%" to 2" square and 30 feet long are heated, the billets., being charged and discharged mechanically; a' roughing mill usually consisting of six stands, which receive and roll the billets as they are.` discharged from the furnace; a iiyin'g shear; a iinishing mill usually of some ten stands from the last stand of which the materalnormally issue as a No. 5 rod; and a battery of automatic reels which coil the rod as it is delivered from the finishing mill in coils or bundles.V The 1%" to 2" square, 30 feet long billets weighing for 1%" square billets 300 pounds each, are rolled in the conventional manner on blooming and billet mills.

is practice, as stated, is now in almost universal use in this country. and has been accepted as standard for many years; although there are a number' of recognized disadvantages and dii- Vficulties which are and haver alwaysbeen present.

First, each-,.30 foot, 300 pound billet passed through the mill and rolled to produce the 300 pound coil of' No. 5'rod must be individually pushed from and fed to' the continuous millV and a crop end isproduced witheach billet, which must be cut off, amountingY to a loss in scrap of approximately 11/2 per cent.

Second, as each foot billet enters each stand ofrolls in the series, there is a bump or impact upon the rolls which is transmitted to the roll neck bearings, with the result that these must bereplaced at frequent intervals.

Third, the finished' rod, due tothe continual bumping or pounding and for other reasons is off gauge in a portion-of its front and rear ends;

bearings i wire drawing, the oil'gauge end portions cause considerable trouble inA the `iirst wire drawing and if the "nished redis further reduced by operation where close tolerances are required.

Fourth, cobbles arevquite prevalent in continuous od mills, caused'bythe failure of the forwardend oi' a 300 pound billet to enter a succeeding roll pass; such cobbles becoming scrap material.v Y

Fifth, the-30 foot billets, while being heated in the so-called continuous bar or billet heating i furnace, are stacked close together therein, and are often heated unevenly, which results in nonuniform sections from mill pass to mill pass and consequently produces finned rods, which have to be scrapped and returned to the open hearth furnace to be remelted. Y

i Sixth, 300 pound coils or bundlesgare the prod; uct of the rod mill and in drawing wire therefromthese coils or bundles must'be constantly handled and rehandled in subsequent pickllng, washing, limring, baking and wire drawingf'operations. Larger'coils could, if produced, be handled much more conveniently and economically. Similarly, relatively high handling costs are also involved in handling the 30 foot, 3'00V pounds billets from` shearing at the billetv mill until theyreach the sop-called continuous billet or bar heate ing furnace. Y

Seventh, there'is considerablef'scale formed. and consequently a considerable scale lossl "all along the line in the present practice orrolling rods, and particularly during the slow heating of 30 foot billets in the bar heating furnace,

Eighth, the foregoing difficulties or disadvantages, recognized in and inherent inthe present conventional and substantially universally used continuous 'rod mill practice, result inscraplosses `and increased costs. These scrap losses and increased costs materially reduce the yield of'nished material, reduce the production of the rod mill from'its rated capacity, and increase the cost of the material'ultimately iinished, whether it becoilsor bundles of rods, or drawn wire, or

Afabricated wire products. i

The Herman et al. Patent No. 1,91,514, proposedrsome years ago to eliminate some of these Vdifficulties by welding the30 foot billets endto end into a continuous piece, either before or after. heating them, and in then heating thel continuous piece and passing itthrough the continuous rod mill. v V

However, this proposal, whileY theoretically eliminating some of the above diiiiculties, actually introduces Iurther diiiiculties or increased expense.' Thus, the heating means suggested is a 400 foot furnace, the use of which would be utterly impractical because of the space required, because of the inability to locate the same adjacent to existing continuous rod mill equipment, and because of the cost of installation and upkeep of such Ya furnace andthe handling and conveying equipment therein.

Furthermore, a welding operation must be performed for every'30 foot billet at a' relatively high cost. Moreover, the characteristics of the metal in the weld may be sumciently different from the remainder of the material as to cause dimculties in subsequent wire drawing operations. Therefore, the welded zone in the rod produced, occurring once in every 300 pounds of material, may have to be cut out as scrap. -In effect, although the end crop for every 30 foot 300 pound billet is presumably eliminated, it is actually present in the welded zone which must be cut out.

Perhaps for these reasons, but in Yany event,

Vfor some reason, these proposals have not been commerciallyused to my knowledge.

Apparently, these recognized and inherent difficulties and disadvantages which have always existed and which continue to exist in the accepted standard practice of rolling rods,` have not been overcome of eliminated, because the correct approach has not been made to the problem. That is to say, the seat, source or root of the diiliculties is in the use of 30 foot, 300 pound billets. There have been no attempts to eliminate the use of such material as the raw material for a rod mill, whetherthe rods are rolled in accordance with standard practice, or in accordance with the suggestions of Patent No. 1,901,514. Perhaps no suchl attempts have been suggested or made because it has probably been taken for granted by those skilled in the art that material of billet section suitable for rolling into rods could only be made from ingots inV a steel mill and conveniently supplied to a rod mill in the shape and form of round, fiat or square billets, 1%" to 21/2" square, and 30 feet long, and weighing 300 pounds for 1%" square billets.

However, in accordance with the present lnvention, by properly approaching the problem at its root, by eliminating the use of individual 300 pound, 30 foot billets as a raw material for rolling rods, by altering steel mill practice in order to supply a new type of material of billet section to the rod mill for avoiding rod mill difficulties, and by altering rod mill practice and procedure to handle the new type of material of billet section supplied by the'stecl mill, the problem can be solved, the described difliculties and disadvantages can be eliminated, and many new Vadvantages and unexpected results are obtained. Y v y It has never to my knowledge been suggested. or recognized that material of modified billet cross section could be rolled Vin one or notexceeding-two pieces directly. from an ingot and coiled andthat such a coiled Y'billet is adapted foruncoiling and for subsequently being heated to rod rolling temperature quickly. The usual `13/4" to 21/2" square billetshave cross sectional areas of from 3 to over 6 square inches. Material of this area and thickness or dimensions cannot -be satisfactorily coiled, or if coiled, cannot be Vsatisfactorily uncoiied, and cannot be reheated quickly to rod rolling temperature.

However, I have discovered that a billet section, which can be coiled hot and uncoiled cold acciaio v `or uncoiled without too much heating, can be readily rolled directly from an ingot in the usual blooming mill and a slightly modified billet mill in one or two pieces, depending upon the size oi the ingot, if the nnished billet section is symmetrical and has a cross sectional area of not over about 2.25 square inches, such as a 11/2" square, or 9.11%3" diameter round; or if the finished billet section is rectangular or oval and has a cross sectional area of not over 4 square inches with one dimension not over 1 inch, such as a 3A" x 3", or a 3A" x 4", or a 1" x 4" billet section. v

The rolling of billets having such modified coilable sections may only require either a few extra passes while rolling the ingot in the blooming mill, or the addition of several stands to either or both of the roughing or finishing stands of the billet mill, or both.

Such billets having modified coilable sections can be readily and quickly continuously reheated, as hereinafter described; to rod rolling temperature because of their reduced cross sectional area or dimension one Way.

Likewise, the usual existing continuous rod mills can, with slight modification of the roll passes, readily roll such billets having modified coilable sections, because such sections will not exceed 4 square inches in cross section, and most existing continuous rod mills are designed to roll a 2" x 2" billet which has a cross seo tional area of 4 square inches.

Finally, because of the smaller cross sectional area of the modied coilable square or round billet sections, the existing continuous rod mills, with modiiied roll passes, can readily reduce the billet to a No. Z rod rather than'a No. 5 rod, if desired, and thus relieve the draw benches of considerable work in thefurther drawing of the rods to wire.

a, It has been stated that an ingot can be rolled in one or two pieces to produce one or two coiled billets of modified coilable section. Ingot weights in different plants vary from 4000 to 8500 pounds or more. The average ingotv is about 6000 pounds. In accordance with the present invention, ingots up to 5000 to 6000 pounds should be rolled in one piece to produce a single coiled billet; and ingots over 6000 pounds should be sheared in half after blooming, and lthe two pieces further reduced on the billet mill to form to coiled billet coils.

Thus, the billet coils which may be supplied as the raw material for the rod mill, in accordance with the present invention, will each be in one piece and each Weigh from something over 3000 pounds to upwards of 6000 pounds.

These coiled billets may then `be uncoiled cold, or heated a few hundred degrees if necessary for uncoiling, and the billets'of modified coila-ble section welded end to end. 'The continuous billet thus formed in accordance withjthe lpresent invention withjwelde'd joints oniysay every 3 00 tdfiOOA feet or more, gdependingupon thesize Aof the original ingot, insteadv offevery 30v feet in accordance with priorproposals, maythen be' passed through a high frequency induction heating furnace for heating the same up to' rod rolling temperature of say 2200 F.' Such a furnace is very short and can with little if any scale formation quickly heat the material of the modied coilable section to rolling temperature, because of its reduced cross sectional area.

The continuous heated billet is .then passed through the continuous rod mill and may be re- Y. coiled on the automatic rod mill coilers.

duced to a No. rod with fewer passes, or to a No. '7 rod if desired, as explained above, -and The coiled rod coil may have any, desired weight vselected forr the most convenient and inexpensive subsequent handling say 1000 'to 2000 pounds.

The following objects and newresultspf the present invention are now clearly understood from a consideration ofthe foregoing' general lstatement vof the problem existing in the art of rolling rods and of a solution of the -problem in accordance with the present invention.

It is a primary and fundamental object of the present invention to eliminate the making and use of 30 foot .billets in the manufacture of n rods. Y

Also it is an' object of the present invention to provide a billet of modied coilable section, and to provide for the manufacture of coiled billetsin one or two coils directly from an ingot for further reduction vinto rods.

thecost of subsequent wire drawing, heat treating or patenting operations.

Furthermore, it is an object of the present invention'to provide acontinuous billet for being fed to a continuous Vrod mill, and to provide for heating the same uniformly to rolling temperature in a small space and short time.

vA further object of the present invention is to provide in connection Iwith the manufacture of rods, a coiled billet rolled directly froman ingot weighing 3000 pounds or more, which may -beuncoiled cold, or without too much heating.

Also it is an object of thek present inventionto eliminate the scrap loss resulting fromend cropping for every 300 pounds of rod produced in ac-v cordance with present practice.

Also, it is an object of the present invention V Also itis an object of the present invention to provide a continuous billet 'for being fed toa continuous rod mill, with not more than an average of v.one welded joint for every 3000 or more pounds ofmaterialied to the rod mill. v

Also it is an object o1' thefpresent invention to modify the present practice of rolling billets so as to produceifroman ingot in one or vtwo coils, a new type of billet of modified coilable section having a cross sectional area if symmetri-Y lcal of not over about 2.25 square inches, orhaving a. cross sectional area. if rectangular orovalfof not over 4 square inches with one dimension not over 1 inch; all without materially increasing the cost-of production thereof over the present lcost Y of producing the usual 30 foot billets.

Finally, it is an object of the present invention to materially increase the yield ofnished material in making rods, wire or wire products; to increase the rate of production of rodson rod to eliminate the handling of separate v30 foot billets from a billet mill to a bar heating-furnace,

and the individual chargingof such billets into the furnace and the pushing of the same individ ually from the furnace to a continuous rod mill.

Likewise, it is an object of the present invention to eliminate the wearand tear on continuous rod mill rolls and the bearings thereofl resulting fromthe bumping, pounding and impact to which the-rolls and bearings are subjected by passing individual 30 foot billets through the mill; and tol thereby increase the llife of the roll bearings and rolls and reduce shut down losses.y

Likewise, it is an object of the present invention to eliminate oil gauge portions in every 300 pounds of rod rolled on a continuous rod fmill,

l and to provide -for rolling a rod of uniform vgauge Y passanti eliminate finned rods and the scrap resulting therefrom. i

Moreover, it is an object of. the present invention to greatly rreduce scale losses in the lrolling of rods. Y Also itis anA object of the present invention to provide rod coils of greater weight than are at`present available for reducing the handling cost per ton of material handled inconnection with subsequent pickling, washing, liming, baking and wire drawing operations. l A

Also it is an object of the present invention to provide a way of rolling a No. 5 rod with `fewer passes, or a No. 7 rod with greater -facility on existing continuous rod mills in order toreduce mills: and to reduce the unit cost of material ultimately finished, whether it be rod coils, drawn wire or fabricated wire products.

These and other objects maybe obtained, and the foregoing and other beneficial results achieved, by the present invention v heretofore generally set forth and now to be described in detail and hereinafter claimed.

In the drawings,

Figures 1a, 1b, 1c etc.` .are diagrammatic plan I views of a continuous production lineoi equipment forrolling rods from an ingot to coiled rods in accordance with the presentinvention; and

Figs. 2a, 2b, 2c etc. are Vdiagrammatic side elevations of the production line shown in Figs.4 1a, lb,'1cetc. f

Similar numerals refer to the drawings.

The following detailed description'of the lnvention sets forth the manufacture of No. 5 (.218 diam.) and No-7 (.187 diam.) rods,"util iz ing coiled steel billets 11/2" square having a cross similar parts through sectional area of 2.25'squar`e inches, to which the invention is particularly directed. However, it is Y understood that square billets in coiled form, having an even smaller cross sectionalV area may be used; or that round billets in coiled form having diameters up to 1H and cross sectional areas up toA 2.25 square inches might be utilized. Such Vbillets are termed lherein and in the claims,

"billets having symmetrical sections and cross sectional areas up to 1,21.25 square inches.

Y Also with slight modifications in the roll passes of the billet mill and 4continuous rod mill, coiled billets of oval or rectangular sha-pe having cross sectional areas of up to 4 square inches and one dimension thereof not over l inch may bej made,

used and further vreduced onthe rod mill to form miscellaneous sections, hoop iron, cotton ties,

narrow hot rolled strip, concrete bars and the like. Such oval or rectangular billets having generally rectangular section s are termed herein and in the claims, billets having narrowed sections with cross sectional areas up to 4 inches and with the narrow dimension thereof not over 1 inch.

Moreover, the billets having Ysymmetrical sections and cross sectional areas up to 2.25 square inches and the billets having-narrowed sections with cross sectional areas up to 4 square inches and with the narrow dimension thereof not over 1 inch" are defined and termed herein and in the ent description that ingots weighing from 8000 to 8500 pounds are available for rolling. These lngots are placed in the usual soaking pits I and heated and soaked therein to rolling temperature. 'Ihe ingots are then Withdrawn from the soaking pits and rolled on the blooming mill indicated diagrammatically at 2, which is illustrated as being a Z-high reversing blooming mill.

The bloom produced by the blooming operation in accordance 'with usual practice normally would be a 7" x 9" bloom. However, in accordance 'with the lpresent invention a few extra passes may be given to the bloom on the blooming mill 2 in order to reduce the bloom to a smaller cross-sectional area such as a 6" x 8", or even smaller.

The bloom shear 3 is used for cropping the ends of the bloom, and may also be used for cutting the bloom in two pieces if the bloom weighs 6000 to 8500 pounds. In accordance with the present invention, if the ingot is'approximately 6000 pounds or under, only Vone bloom will be ordinarily formed.

' The bloom or blooms arerthen passed to the intermediate roughing stands Vof a continuous billet mill shown diagrammatically at 4, preferably including four roll stands on which the blooms may be rolled down to approximately a 4" x 4" section.

` A swing shear is indicated at 5, which may be used if 4necessary for end cropping the intermediate billets. The shear 5 may.also be used for cutting the billet in two in case it ls desired to make two billets from an ingot and the bloom has not been cut in two at the bloom shear 3. The swing shear 5 may also be usedto sever the billet if it cobbles in the following stands of the billet mili.

The 4" x 4" section intermediate billet then passes to the final or finishing stands ofr` the continuous ho-t billet mill indicated generally at 6. The finishing stands of the billet mill 6 are shown diagrammatically as including six roll stands 6a with two sets of edge rolls Bb, one preceding the liirst roll stand 6a and one preceding the third roll stand 6a. l The final or finishing stands 6 of the billet mill A reduce the billet t'o the modified coilable billet As has been previously stated, if smaller lngots V'weighing fromv 5000 to 6000 pounds are used, only one billet' will normally be made from the ingot. The billet then passes through the automatic switching device 8 associated and coordinated" with coilers 9, and the device 8 directs the billet 5 Vto one of the coilers or reels 9. The billet of modied coilablev section weighing 3000 pounds and Vupwards is thereupon coiled in one piece on one of the coilers 9. The switching device 8 feeds vthe billet to whichevercoiler or reel 9 that is open 10 or available for receiving the billet.

The coiled billets thus produced are in convenient form to facilitate subsequent handling. and the handling costs for such coiled billets will be materially less than the cost of handling a l5 large number of.300 pound 30 foot billets such as are normally produced in accordance with standard practice on a billet inlll when making material for rolling rods.

If the rods to be rolled are to have an vexcep.

tionally good surface finish, the coiled billets may be pickled in coil form at this point before further rolling. However, such a pickling operation y l will be the exception and not the rule.

The coiled -billets are then taken `to uncoilers I0, nine of which have been shown diagrammatically for supplying three lines to a continuous f rod mill. The uncoilers I 0 are preferably reels each-mounted within a furnace which may be a top opening or top covered furnace to facilitate '30 entry of the coils into the furnace and onto the uncoilers.

The coils may if desired be heated in the furnaces I0 a few hundred degrees, but not above a scaling temperature. The primary purposes of heating'the billet coils in the uncoiler furnaces I0 is to facilitateuncoiling thereof. the billet may be' heated if the cross sectional area of the billet, though of coilable form, is from 2 to 4 square inches; such as in the larger sizes of billets 40 having symmetrical sections and cross sectional areas4 up to 21A; square inches, or such as inthe larger'sizes of billets having narrowed sections 'with cross sectional areas up to 4 square inches and with a narrow dimension of not over one inch.

Each uncoiler I0 is provided with a gripping device II for gripping the outside end of the coiled billet at the uncoiler I0 and for pulling it to and entering it between the pinch rolls I2 provided for each uncoiler I0.

The pinch rolls I2 are driven and are shown diagrammatlcally as being vertical pinch rolls, a1- though either vertical. or horizontal pinch rolls may be used. The pinch rolls I2 advance the end of each billet'to the master pinch roll stand I3 which is also driven and is shown diagrammatically as including vertical rolls. The master pinchrolls I3 may also have either vertical or horizontal rolls'.

Shears I4 are provided following master pinch rolls I3 for shearing the ends of the billets and for preparing the endsfor subsequent welding end to end.

Following the shear I4 is a series of pinch and straightening rolls I5 for straightening the billet and for feeding it to the traveling welder I 6 which is used to weld the billets end to end and form a continuous or endless billet for the following rod nnll.

The billet then passes between driven pinch rolls I7 at the entrance of the looping pit I8 and out of the looping pit I8 between driven pinch Vrolls I9. The looping pit I8 is interposed at this point to deliver the material to the following rod mill at a substantially constant desired speed which in accordance with present accepted rod mosphere may be introduced -ing a cross sectional area of approximately 4 `square inches. THowever, in accordance with the present inventionwhere the area ofthe modified billet section is less than 4 square inches, the speed of theicontinuous billet on entering the first pass of the rod mill may be greater than40 to 60 `feet per minute if it is desired to maintain the usual finishing speed on-the rod mill of approximately 3600 feet per minute for a No. 5 rod.

VThe billet then passes through driven pinch rolls 20, a high frequenc'yiinduction heating furnace 2i and driven pinch rolls .22. 'lhe billet is vPattern'. NO. 12,290,443.

be provided with six grooves and the supply line X may normally berolled on the No. l groove of the rod mill until it wears out, whereupon thede- Vvice 24 is used to feed' supply X to the No. 2 rod mill-groove', or to any other groove open or available. Any other suitable feed device may be used in place of a feedldevice of the type shown in The foregoing description of the supply of `material from the uncoilers l0 to the rod mill has been based upon using a billet of symmetrical coilable section. In case coilable billets are used .having narrowed sections, it may be necessary heated continuously as it passes through the in-V duction heating furnace 2| to the `usual rolling temperatureof'approximately 2200 F. One of the-characteristics of the high frequency induction heating furnace is that materialv passing therethrough may beheated'to lthe desiredtemperature quickly in a few seconds and'at -amuch higher rate of heating than .by any other means of heating. f

Y Also, the induction heating furnace2l occupies accordingly be readily installedv in connection with existing rod mills. L

Another characteristic of the induction heating furnace 2l is that the heating occurs so quickly that there is little opportunity for the formation of scale; and if it is desired to insure against the formation of any scale incident to heating to rolling temperature, an inert gas or controlled atinto and maintained inthefurnace2l. M f Y e One of the functions of the pinch rolls 20 and V22 oneitherside ofthe induction heatingfurnace 2| is tn maintain the material tensionedior taut as itfpasses through the,` furnace 2l so that 25 'a relatively small amount of iioor space and can to interpose'some means between furnace I0 and looping pit l8-to twistrthe material 90 degrees so that the widedimension thereof is horizontal as it passes through the looping pit. Furthermore, a similar twisting device may be interposed preferablysomewhere between the induction furnace 2iYY and .thev first stand of the rod mill in order to twistthematerial 90 degreesso that it enters the first stand of the rod mill with its wide dimension vertical.

The material `then passes from the feed ldevice 24 to the roughing stands 25 of a continuous rod mill Six'roughing stands are shown in iaccordance with usual practice yand. each` stand may be provided with six grooves. If a-,billet of generally rectangular coilable section is usedfor rollingrods in accordance with the Vpresent inor 5/8" x %"k section'coming out of In accordance with present practice, the materod mill, Vten: stands being diagrammatically shown. A shear 26 is interposed between the l roughingstands z5 and .finishing stands 21 in the exact relationship between-the material and* the furnace is maintained to insure uniformL heating. That is to say the material must pass through the central zone of the inductionL heating furnace in exact relationship with respect to the top, bottom and sides thereof in order to obtain `uniform heating by .the current induced therein. Y y Y Burners if desired may be placed in the looping vpit I8 and along the path of advance ofthe ma- 4 terial to the induction heating furnace 2l in order Y to reduce the amount of powerv consumed by heatf ing `in the induction furnace. However, thel material should not be heated by suchburners above scaling temperature without providinga suitable enclosure to prevent scaling. Y f

Thus, in accordance with the present invention, an induction heating furnace is the preferred furnace for quickly heating the material, for prieventing scaling `and for conserving floor space.

'accordance' with standard practice to take care of cropping-the end of the first material coming through the mill and to takercare of switching` passes or grooves on the mill when one series of grooves wears out or requires redressing.

A flying rotary swing shear 28 is provided following the' finishing stands of the rod mill, followed by reel switching device `29.- and a plurality of rod reels 30. The flying shear 2B cuts the material and in coordination with the switching device 29 transfers the material from reel to reel .when the desired weight of rod has been coiled on one reel.V The operation of the reels 30,

the switching device-29 and the flying shears 28Y is'coordinated so that they'operate to accomplish the severing and reelinggofA-the material. The

, y coiled rods are .then removed from the reels 307m l the 'usual-manner,- andare ready` for further treatment forfmaking wire and the .like

A shear 23 isprovided to' take Careof cobbles which may occur in originally entering the forwardgend of the continuous materialin one of the rou'ghing stands ofthe following rod mill.

The shear 23`maya1s0 be used for Etransferring the material from one pass to another pass of the rod mil1` at the time when one series of grooves on the rod mill may wear out.,`

A selective multiple feed device 24 which may be built in accordancewith the disclosure ofthe Morrison & Gehring Patent No. 2,290,443 may be provided after shear 23 in order to feed any one of the three linesof supplyrillustrated diagrammaticallyat X, Y and Z to'any one of the rodmill passes. The rod mill as hereinafter stated may As stated, therod coils wound onrod reels 30 may be of any desired weight and .thisl enables rods of absolutely uniform section to beprovded in coil form at the rod reels 30 weighing as' much as 1,000', 25000 or 3,000 pounds each. Such larger coils materially reduce labor and handling costs in subsequent wire drawing or'other operations for making wirerand other fmished'products from the rods. Y l -f u This is contrasted with the maximum weight limitationof 300 pounds for rod coils produced in'accordance .with present practice.l Obviously,

300 pound rod coils can be made, if desired, vasa final step of the improved method.

will beused vvin accordance with the present invention for rolling rods. Because ofthe materially reduced cross sectional area ofrsuch billets, a No. 7 rod may be finished on the rodmill with the same number of `passes as is used in accordance with present practice in making a No. rod; or a No. 5 rod may be made from the improved billets of coilable ,section if desired, with fewer passes on the rod mill.

The ability to roll a No. 7 rod with the usual equipment now required for rolling a' No. 5 rod constitutes one of the new results of the present invention. This enables a substantial saving in the cost of finished products, by eliminating a number of wire drawing orother operations in the later fabrication of wire or the like from theV `rolled into rods individually and not as a` continuous uninterrupted billet by welding successive billets end to end.

If this variation of the present method is'used, some of the present day difliculties in rolling rods will still be present to a very minor degree. such Vas the possibility of cobbling, off gauge portions inthe ends, and'some'wear and tear on roll neck bearings. However,th increased costs due to these diiilculties will only be one-tenth or less as much as are at present encountered, because they will only occur once for'every 3,000 or more pounds of billet, rather than once for every 300 pounds of billet.

Accordingly, the present invention entirely eliminates the use of individual 300 pound 30 foot billets as a raw material for rolling rods, o

thereby eliminating numerous diiliculties at present encountered incidentto the use of such material.

Moreover, the present invention eliminates the end crop produced with each 30 foot billet in accordance with present practice; eliminates the wear and tear on rodvmill rolls and roll neck bearings, and the frequent replacement thereof incident to continually entering 30 foot billets into the rod mill passes; substantially or entirely eliminates oil gauge portions in the rods produced by a rod mill, thereby eliminating diiiiculties in wire drawing operations .where close tolerances are required; substantially eliminates cobbles, which frequently occur in the operation of a rod mill; eliminates the high handling costs involved in handling alarge number of 300 pound pieces, either in billet or rod coil form; eliminates a considerable amount of scale loss; and materially reduces scrap losses and production and handling costs.

These results are obtained in accordance with the present inventionl by rolling an ingot directly in one or two pieces down toa coilable and coiled billet of modified section, which can be uncoiled cold or without heating above scaling temperature. The formation of suoli a modified coilable billet section of relatively small cross sectional area enables the billet to then be quickly and continuously heated without the formation of any scale and rolledcontinuously on a rod mill to form rod coils of substantiallyY any desired weight.

Likewise, the formation of the billets of modified coilable section enables the use of a high frequency induction heating furnaceifor heating the billets to rolling temperature very quickly within agfew seconds, say from 5 to jlseconds,

gpnding upon the cross sectional area of the And finally, the'formation ofbillets'ofrcilable `section and the continuous heating thereof by high frequency induction heating reduces scrap and scale losses, reduces rod rolling .and later nishing costs, and increases rod mill and wire drawing production.

Having described theproblem existing .in the art of rolling rods, a solution of the problem, `the improved features of the present invention. the operation of preferred embodiments thereof, and the new and advantageous results attained by the improved method; the new and useful methods, steps, arrangements and coordination, and reasonable mechanical yequivalents thereof obvious to those skilledin the art, are setforth in the appended claims.

I claim:

l. 'Ihe method of making steel rods and the llike including the steps of rolling billets of lcoilable section and each weighing 30005pounds Vand upwards andV from approximately one-half .to approximately the entire ingot weight directly from ingots, coiling eachoft said billets in a single coil to facilitate handling, transferring said billet coils to a rod mill, uncoiling the billets at a temperature below scaling temperature, vpassing the billets continuously lengthwise through an induction heating furnace and quickly heating the same thereinA Vto rolling temperature, land continuously rolling the heated billets to form rods and the like.

2. The method of making steel rods and the like including the steps of rolling vbillets weighing 3000 pounds and upwards of coilable section directly from ingots, coiling each` of said billets to facilitate handling, transferring Vsaid billet coils to a rod mill, uncoiling the billets, passing the billets continuously lengthwise through an induction heating furnace and quickly heating thesame therein to rolling temperature of about 2200" F., continuously rolling the heated billets to form rods and the like, coiling the rods, and severing the rods at intervals as they are being coiled to form from each billeta plurality of rod coils each weighing 300 pounds and upwards.

3. The method of making steel rods and the like including the stepsA of rolling billets of coilable section and each weighing 3000 pounds and upwards and from approximately one-half to approximately the entire ingot weight directly from ingots, coiling each of said billets 4in a single coil to facilitate handling, transferring said billet coils to a rod mill, uncoiling the billets at a temperature below scaling temperature, passing the billets continuously lengthwise through an induction heating furnace and quickly heating the same therein to rolling temperature of about 2200* F., continuously rolling the heated'billets to form rods and the like from 0.218 to 0.187 inches in diameter, coiling the rods, and severing the rods at intervals as they are being coiled to form from each billet a plurality of rod coils 4each weighing 300 pounds and upwards.

4. The method of making steel rods and the like including the steps of rolling an ingot weighing 4000 to 6000 pounds directly in one piece into a"-billet of coilable section, coiling the billet to facilitate handling, transferring the billet coil to a rod mill, uncoiling the billet, passing the billet rod, coiling the rodgand severing the rod at intervalsasitis being coiled to formfrom said billet aV plurality of rod coils each weighing 300 pounds and upwards.

5. The method of making steel rods and the like including the steps of rolling an ingot weighing 6000 pounds and upwards to form two billets of coilable section, coiling the billets to facilitate' handling, transferring the billet coils to a rod mill,

uncoiling the billets, passing the billets continuously lengthwise through an induction heating furnace and quickly heating the same therein to rolling temperature of about 2200 F., continuously rolling the heated billets to form rods,` coiling the rods, and Vsevering the rods at intervals as they'are being coiled to form from each billet a plurality of rod coils eachv weighing 300 pounds and upwards.

6. The method of making steel rods andthe like including the steps of rolling billets of coilable section and each weighing 3000 pounds and upwards and from approximately one-half to approximately the entire ingot weight directly from ingots, coiling each of said billets to facilitate handling, transferring said billet coils to a rod mill, uncoiling the billets atV a temperature below scalingrtemperature, passing the billets continuously lengthwise through a heating furnace and quickly heating the same therein to rolling temperature of about 2200 continuously Vrolling the heated billets to form rods and the like, coiling the rods, andsevering the rods at intervals as they are being coiled to form from each billet a plurality of rod coils each weighing 300 pounds and upwards. l

'7. The method of making steel rods and the like including the steps of rolling ingots to form billets of coilable section each Vweighing 3000 pounds and upwards, coiling each of said billets to facilitate handling, transferring/the billet coils to a rod mill, successively uncoiling the billets, welding successive billets end to end to form a continuous uninterrupted billet, passing said one-half lto approximately the entire ing'ot weight directly from ingots, coiling each of said billets toA facilitate handling, transferring said billetcoilswto a rod mill, heating the coiled billets f to atemperature below scaling temperature to facilitate uncoiling, uncoiling the billets, passing the billets continuously lengthwise through an induction -heating furnace and quickly heating the same therein to rolling temperature, and continuously rolling the heated billets to form rods and the like.

10. The method'jof making steel rods and the like including the steps of rolling billets of coilable section and each weighing from approxi- Imately one-half to approximately the entire ingot weight directly from ingots, coiling each of ,said .muets to facilitate handling,V

transferring said billet coils to a rod mill, heating said billet coils to a temperature below scaling temperature to facilitate uncoiling, un-

coiling the billets, roller straightening the billets,

Vpassing the Vbillets Vcontinuously lengthwise through an inductionheating furnace and quickly heating the same therein to rolling temperature of about 2200 F., tensioning the billetsras they ae passed through the heating furnace to center the same therein and obtain uniform heating thereof, and continuously rolling the heated billets to'form rods and the like.

got weightV directly from ingots, coiling each of said billets to facilitate handling, transferringy said billet coils to a, rod mill, heating said billets to a temperature. below scaling temperature to facilitate uncoiling, successively uncoiling the billets, roller straightening the billets, welding successive billets end to end to form aV continuous letgthrough an induction heating furnace-and quickly heating the same therein to rolling temcontinuous billet through an induction heating in diameter, coiling the rod, and severing the rod4 atintervals as it is being coiled to form a plurality of rod coils of desired weight. y

8. The method of making steel'rods and the like including the steps of rolling billets of coilable section and each weighing from approximately one-half to approximately the entire ingot weight directly from ingots, coiling each of said billets to facilitate handling, transferring said billet coils to a rod mill, heating the coiled billets to a temperature below scaling temperature to facilitate uncoiling, successively uncoiling the billets, Weldingsuccessive billets end to end to form a continuous uninterrupted billet, passing said continuous billet through a heating furnace and -quickly heating the same therein to a rolling temperature of about 2200 F., rolling the heated continuous billet to form a rod and the like, coiling the rod, and severing the rod at intervals as it is being coiled to form a plurality of rod coils of desired weight. f

9. The method ofV making steel rods and the like including the steps of rolling billets of coilable section and each weighing approximately perature of about 2200 F., tensioning the billet as it is passed through the heating furnace to center the same therein and obtain uniform heating thereof, and continuously rolling the heatedbillet to form rods and the like.

12. The method of making steel rods and the like including the steps of rolling billets of coilable section and -each -weighing approximately from one-halfto approximately the entire ingot weight directly from ingots, coiling each of said billets to facilitate handling', transferring said billet coils to a rod mill, heating the billetl coils" to a temperature below scaling temperature to facilitate uncoiling, uncoiling the billets, roller straightening the billets,ap assing the billets continuously lengthwise'through an induction heating furnace and quicklyheating the same therein to rolling temperature of about 2200 F., tensioning the billets as they are passed through the- Y heating furnace to center the'same therein and obtain uniform heating thereof, rolling the heated billets to form rods from 0.218 to 0.187

inches in diameter, coiling the rods, and severing the rods at intervals as they are being rolled to form from each billeta plurality of rofl coils each weighing 300 pounds and upwards.

13. The method of making steel rods and the like including the steps of rolling billets of coilable section and each weighing from approximately one-half to approximately the entire ingot weight directly from ingots, calling each of `said billets to facilitate handling, transferring billet through an induction heating furnace and heating the same therein in from 5 to 15 seconds to rolling .temperature of about 2200"1 F., tensioning the continuous billet as it is being passed through the heating furnace to center the same therein and obtain uniform heating, rolling the heated continuous billet to form a rod from 0.218 to 0.187 inches in diameter, coiling the rod,

' and severing the rod at intervals as it is being coiled to form a `plurality of rod coils of desired weight.

GEORGE R. ROEMER. 

